ORION, Who has it and tell us what you think...
- Thread starter srvhero
- Start date
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
We've been hearing about the next best thing for thirty years now. The problem with their new technology is that they spend all of that money, then they immediately expect improvements in production, regardless the circumstances. And with this company's unrealistic expectations, well, you know how that will play out.
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
Sure enough, I just checked what you talking about. The headline makes my point: "Stellar results expected from new package flow technology". Yeah. I like this man's quotes. Why? Because we've heard this sales pitch so many times through the years, that I can almost recite it from memory. Here are a few quotes:
"The difference between what ORION does and what we currently load is that ORION takesexactly what is in the car on that given day and routes that in order, specifically."
"It gives us the ability to take all the time constraints on a specific route and plot a path that will keep the driver on time and determine the most efficient path for the best cost.'
Another feature of ORION is the ability to intelligently dovetail stops. It looks for ground stops close to air stops, and it can determine if a driver has time to make those stops while in the area to save miles later in the day.
******
As always, the wildcard is UPS's preconceived idea of what is an acceptable time for each task. As everyone of us knows, this time is never acceptable and always puts us behind the eight ball. My guess is that this system will be no different.
"The difference between what ORION does and what we currently load is that ORION takesexactly what is in the car on that given day and routes that in order, specifically."
"It gives us the ability to take all the time constraints on a specific route and plot a path that will keep the driver on time and determine the most efficient path for the best cost.'
Another feature of ORION is the ability to intelligently dovetail stops. It looks for ground stops close to air stops, and it can determine if a driver has time to make those stops while in the area to save miles later in the day.
******
As always, the wildcard is UPS's preconceived idea of what is an acceptable time for each task. As everyone of us knows, this time is never acceptable and always puts us behind the eight ball. My guess is that this system will be no different.
rocket man
Well-Known Member
your question is what do you think? we were told were not suppose to think just drive
Indecisi0n
Well-Known Member
It's the most retarded system I have ever used. I no longer follow it's trace. Until my boss (not the ORion guy) tells me to follow I have decided not to.
ajblakejr
Age quod agis
Drac - The question is asking those with ORION experience to comment.
The system sounds as if it will work to free you from the eight ball.
Wait to experience it before slamming the door on it.
The wildcard is your opinion is being asked on BC before it is filtered and censored upwards.
Take this opportunity to give specific feedback...
Rocket my Man, drive the thread back on target.
InD - Please provide examples of your experience.
srvhero is looking for feedback and he came to BC to seek it.
Look at this as an opportunity to impact a program and free it of kinks before it goes nationwide.
This is an opportunity to send feedback to the developers.
Tell them what works.
Tell them how it affects you.
Be specific!!
It sounds like srvhero is bypassing the talking heads as they censor upward feedback.
srvhero is asking you...the drivers...What is your experience!!
Use this opportunity to make a difference.
TearsInRain
IE boogeyman
sounds like it will be a major improvement, once they work out the kinks
packageguy
Well-Known Member
I guess you invest that much money in something, you can't give up.
EDD was a major improvement until they stoped tweaking it as needed. Orion need to be tweak a lot more. Like weekly if not more.
brownmonster
Man of Great Wisdom
If it's like PAS/EDD they will fail miserably in the implementation and we will live with the results. I like the part in the article where it says it will fill in ground stops near your air. Ya right. Are we going to start leaving at 8:20 again instead of 9 to 9:30?
Orion is and up grade to EDD the problem is that it doesn't account for a real world happens. IT will have you deliver on both sides of the street your on even if it a divided high way or not. It will send you down the wrong way on one way streets. IT gives you times to be a stops but can't and doesn't take into account for traffic, stop lights, ETC.
That are just some of the problems.
My EDD was spot on until my sups put their grubby little fingers on it. Now, its a complete mess which I refuse to fix. I just don't care.
browniehound
Well-Known Member
I do this on my own everyday. Its called "using your head" or "work smarter not harder". There is no need for the multi-million dollar investment to tell ME how to run MY route. I "dove-tail" my airs and grounds every day and deliver my last air at about 10:27. My internal body clock and area knowledge lets me maximize my efficency every day.
This system sounds great in theory, but ultimately its going to fail on its intended purpose and I'll explain why. First, its a computer and while computers don't make mistakes they are dealing with the real world and there are too many variables on Earth for the computer to take in account every one. Second, its a computer and we all know they make mistakes, lol, (not real mistakes but you know what I mean). Just think of the round-about way your personal GPS took you on one day?
And lastly, just look at the EDD/PAS system. What a complete failure in my mind. Our preload and dispacth sups. have all this technology and they screw things up EVERY hour of EVERY day. I'm not going to get into the EDD system but we all know what I'm talking about. i.e. 2 drivers having deliveries on the same street that only has 10 houses on it. The commercial area of our routes changing every day so our mid-sized shippers are getting there stuff at 1045 on tue. and wed. but 1400 on thurs. and 1630 on mon. and fri. and they want to know WHY? Simple question, no? Why did I get my packages at 1300 for 20 years and now some days I don't get it at all because the driver never makes it. I can go on and on but I won't
The EDD sytem created those few but significant problems with its limited scope. What kind of customer murder will the Orion system cause with its greater scope and power?
Like I said, when you take a road trip do you trust your GPS 100%?
brownmonster
Man of Great Wisdom
Technology will be the downfall of society.
Orion doesn't have a brain. It just like EDD garbage in garbage out. Every address has to be programmed for every possible scenario.
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
I have nothing against any of these programs. Hell, all they are is software. The problem is when the software meets the managers.
Seriously, the real problem is that the software is virtual reality, instead of reality. For example, no amount of software can ever smooth out a bad load. The software can have a load lined out perfectly, but if your package car is stuffed completely, no amount of expensive software is going to make a difference in your day. That is just the reality of the situation. Management could never admit/understand that.
Maybe even more importantly, is the preload itself. And as hard as it is to blame the loaders, anyone with any common sense or a pair of working eyes can see how management's neglect of the preload is the root cause of all bad loads. Are there some bad loaders? Of course there are, but it was always hard to tell if a bad loader was a bad loader, or if he/she never had much of chance to develop into a decent loader. The buildings I've been in, the training period for preloaders was woefully short. Good loaders seemed to be a stroke of luck, rather than something to be expected. What always happened, was a loader would get a day or two--TOPS--with a supervisor, and then he/she was on their own with 3 to 5 trucks to load. And the loads were what you would expect them to be...crap.
So, you combine our preload with an expensive, software system that is viewed as the end-all, you end up with Catch-22 situation for any driver. Of course, from the management side, everything is rosy and flawless. But hey, every driver is used to that. Sometimes I kind of miss package car, but not when the brain trust starts to flex.
Seriously, the real problem is that the software is virtual reality, instead of reality. For example, no amount of software can ever smooth out a bad load. The software can have a load lined out perfectly, but if your package car is stuffed completely, no amount of expensive software is going to make a difference in your day. That is just the reality of the situation. Management could never admit/understand that.
Maybe even more importantly, is the preload itself. And as hard as it is to blame the loaders, anyone with any common sense or a pair of working eyes can see how management's neglect of the preload is the root cause of all bad loads. Are there some bad loaders? Of course there are, but it was always hard to tell if a bad loader was a bad loader, or if he/she never had much of chance to develop into a decent loader. The buildings I've been in, the training period for preloaders was woefully short. Good loaders seemed to be a stroke of luck, rather than something to be expected. What always happened, was a loader would get a day or two--TOPS--with a supervisor, and then he/she was on their own with 3 to 5 trucks to load. And the loads were what you would expect them to be...crap.
So, you combine our preload with an expensive, software system that is viewed as the end-all, you end up with Catch-22 situation for any driver. Of course, from the management side, everything is rosy and flawless. But hey, every driver is used to that. Sometimes I kind of miss package car, but not when the brain trust starts to flex.
Not really. It just needs sensible people in charge.
